Censorship is a Personal Decision Essay - 1558 Words

Censorship is a Personal Decision One mans vulgarity is anothers lyric. Justice John M. Harlan, Cohen v. California (1971) It is probably no accident that freedom of speech is the first freedom mentioned in the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The Constitutions framers believed that freedom of inquiry and liberty of expression were the hallmarks of a democratic society. Freedom of speech, of the press, of association, of assembly and petition -- this set of guarantees, protected by the First Amendment, comprises what we refer to as freedom of†¦show more content†¦Thus, freedom of expression is an end in itself -- and as such, deserves societys greatest protection. It is vital to the attainment and advancement of knowledge, and the search for the truth. The eminent 19th-century writer and civil libertarian, John Stuart Mill, contended that enlightened judgment is possible only if one considers all facts and ideas, from whatever sourc e, and tests ones own conclusions against opposing views. Therefore, all points of view -- even those that are bad or socially harmful -- should be represented in societys marketplace of ideas. It is necessary to our system of self-government and gives the American people a checking function against government excess and corruption. If the American people are to be the masters of their fate and of their elected government, they must be well-informed and have access to all information, ideas and points of view. Mass ignorance is a breeding ground for oppression and tyranny. Beginning in the 1980s, religious fundamentalists and some parents groups have waged a persistent campaign to limit the variety of cultural messages available to American youth by attacking the content of some of the music industrys creative products. These attacks have taken numerous forms, including a call byShow MoreRelatedCensorship Critique Essay1074 Words   |  5 PagesJulia Else-Green Eng 103 DE2 October 11, 2008 Critique of â€Å"Censorship: A Personal View† In her essay, â€Å"Censorship: A Personal View† Judy Blume gives readers insight on the impact of censorship based on her personal experiences as a young reader and then later in life as a censored writer. She provides numerous examples of educators who were affected by censorship and chose to take a stand against it (345). Although the piece lacks evidentiary support for these accounts, and draws on sarcasmRead More Censorship and Selection Essay1595 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Censorship is a dirty word to information professionals. Attempts by individuals or groups to restrict the public from reading, hearing or viewing certain materials due to their content, is enough to send librarians and organizations such as the American Library Association, to the proverbial battle field. However, information professionals from all fields have to make choices about what to include and what not to include in their particular librarys collection. How are these selectionsRead MoreEssay about Censorship1703 Words   |  7 Pages Censorship of Violence Why does anyone care if our society is aggressive? Does the kid who decides to fire a gun into his school do so because he watched Natural Born Killers? Is violence in our communities really causing anyone any abnormal amount of heartache? To the victims, and the families and friends of the victims, surely it does. Perhaps there are still some individuals who care just for the sake of caring, not because they are grieving a loss. But what does it all mean, and what isRead MoreThe Sun Starts To Set As Your Making A Rather Difficult1242 Words   |  5 Pages The sun starts to set as your making a rather difficult decision to stay at home or go have adventures on the town on this beautiful Saturday evening. With your mind set, the decision to go out on the town with friends became your final plan. You have always had a creative mindset for audiofile, always loving to find the deeper message in the words you listen to. As nighttime starts to peak, you finally start to settle in the car along with your friends ready to turn some music on. As you and yourRead MoreThe Amendment Of The United States Constitution833 Words   |  4 PagesThe right to express ones opinions without censorship or restraint can be considered as a basic provision enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. To elaborate, the first amendment to the constitution prohibit the legislative arm of government in making of any law abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press and prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. Post this amendment, there have been several cases where the SupremeRead MorePros And Cons Of Censorship1590 Words   |  7 PagesCensorship can be beneficial in some aspects but if used improperly it can also be harmful. Censorship is the control of what people may say or hear, write or read, or see or do. Censorship can affect all forms of art, music, speech, and expression. It can be seen as a means of suppressing free speech, especially in the case of musical lyrics and the impact music has on behaviors. According to Richard Taruskin, â€Å"It is all but irresistible kinesthetic response that music evokes that makes it suchRead More Censorship in Public Schools Essay1625 Words   |  7 Pagesschool librarian is forced to resign because she fought the school boards decision to remove Richard Prices The Wanderers, and to quot;restrictquot; the use of Stephen Kings Carrie and Patrick Manns Dog Day Afternoon (Jones 33). -An Indiana school board takes action that leads to the burning of many copies of a textbook that deals with drugs and the sexual behavior of teenagers (Berger 61). These cases of censorship in public schools are not unusual and there is evidence that such challengesRead MorePosition Paper: Censorship1391 Words   |  6 Pages Every structured society has suffered from some form of censorship of literature, art, or entertainment. Plato, the famous the famous Greek philosopher, was the first to record a method of censorship in a democratic society. In his Republic one of the first guidelines Plato designates is that The first thing will be to establish a censorship of the writers of fiction, and let the censors receive any tale of fiction which is good, and reject the bad; and we will desire mothers and nurses to tellRead MoreCensorship Is A Controversial Topic Essay1399 Words   |  6 Pages Censorship in the media that is a very common yet, controversial topic due to the subject matter being around children and the youth. It has sparked attention from many government and public individuals that have demanded a probation on certain age groups. The official start on the entire blockade of certain age groups has started wit h the MPAA† Motion Picture Association of America† in wanting to prohibit certain age groups from viewing certain movies, yet there has always been ways around theRead MoreThe Importance Of Censorship On The Internet1558 Words   |  7 PagesGovernment and Politics October 30 2017 Censorship The internet is a vast database that allows for the entire world to be connected. However most people while surfing the internet have come across a censored page, or a website saying that this site has been â€Å"legally† blocked by the government. Censorship is defined as the suppression or prohibition of free speech by preventing a person from saying what they want to say. Typically in modern society, censorship takes place on the internet when certain